Sacred 2 Review

By Dan Pearson Published 25 May, 2009

Buggin' out.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Around 15 hours into Sacred II, I check my stats. 2186 enemies defeated. 43 quests completed. 8.4 per cent of the main quest completed. 4.9 per cent of the map revealed.

A rough calculation based on those figures puts the full game's completion time at somewhere around 180 hours. That figure is a little misleading as I've probably been shirking some of the main storyline quests, instead cleaning up all of the side quests in each area before moving on. But you get the idea: a huge amount of content has been squeezed into Arcania's extensive environment.

That's before you take into account the six different classes and the fact four of these can partake in the light or shadow campaigns. Each campaign has a specific class, and each moral extremity offers exclusive content in the form of skills, quests and equipment. That's a lot of rat-punching, kobold-poking and spider-troubling. There's even an achievement, ‘Extremely Diligent', for completing only 40 per cent of the side quests.

This approach doesn't always seem like the best idea, though. It often feels as though quantity has been prioritised over quality in Sacred 2. Much was said about the original game's bugginess when it first hit PC, and many of those issues have been addressed here - but the lack of optimisation is still painfully obvious.

Frame-rate is the first casualty, especially when zooming out and stuttering through camera sweeps with obvious tearing in full effect. Character animations are jumpy and unnatural. The Shadow Warrior looks like Benny Hill during a dark costume phase, chasing scantily-clad high-elf nurses around. The Seraphim's half-catwalk, half-post-enema strut makes her repeated declarations that she has ‘Done my doody' all the funnier.

'Sacred 2' Screenshot 1

"I told you, the costume’s extra. You owe me 200 quid and a hot shower."

There are problems with aggro too. Some mobs casually saunter past before suddenly noticing you once you're half a screen away, by which time you're probably at enough distance to keep on running, forsaking the single XP which many of the opening areas' monsters offer.

At the other end of the scale are the frustrating escort missions. Never my favourite task, Sacred 2's escorts reach a new level of frustration thanks to incredibly bold NPC's. Even the meekest of maidens hurl themselves into groups of slavering monsters, only to realise how much shinola they're in and race back to you - often being cut down in the process.

As these are non-essential quests there's no option to redo them, unless you've had the presence of mind to save first. Targets for these quests are often annoyingly far away, too - they propel you into new areas but offer all the more opportunities for suicide runs from your frisky charges.

'Sacred 2' Screenshot 2

You, bear - axe somebody!

A general lack of polish pervades in Sacred 2. Every time I switched to a ranged weapon - using the innovative and otherwise effective face-buttons, modified by a triggers system -then tried to switch back to my main weapon choice of sword and shield (mapped to an unmodified A button), the unwanted bow, staff or energy pistol stuck in my hands. Even worse my character then became inexplicably rooted to the spot, refusing to move until I'd flashed up either the map or one of the menus. It's no gamebreaker, but it almost turned me into a discbreaker.

A lot has been made of Sacred's 2's humour, and a few lines of dialogue do raise a chuckle. However, as Will pointed out in his PC review, the quirky comments soon become grating rather than amusing. There are some nice cultural references here but many feel shoehorned in. When thrown together with some emo-goth babbling of the highest order about the power of trees and the mystical nature of being, it all makes for an awkward mix.

For a game which often has its forked green tongue firmly in cheek, there's a lot of traditional fantasy questing to be done here. I've spent most of my time killing set numbers of enemies, collecting lost items, delivering messages and rescuing a surprising number of wayward children.

But attacking Sacred for its bread-and-butter fantasy roots would be unfair. It offers some interesting new takes on the genre, such as the consistent mix of hi-tech and medieval elements - realised most obviously by the Temple Guardian and Stargate-style projectile staffs. The fact Sacred 2 is in many ways a very traditional game is not a bad thing. However, many of the traditions it carries on would have been better scrapped.

Aside from the legions of formulaic questlines, there's also the time-old issue of female characters' attire. I'm no prude, and have a healthy appreciation of the female form, but much of the pathos parts of the game tries to imbue is lost because half the characters look like malnourished strippers on their way to a bondage convention. All the shoes and boots which I came across for female classes were high-heeled, and a great deal of their 'armour' consists of tiny skirts, plunging halter-neck tops and throbbing, six-bladed sex toys.

All right. Not sex toys, and doubtless this sort of thing will attract as many - if not more - as it repels. But it does feel like time we graduated from the T ‘n' A school of fantasy. The fact that much of the character art feels like it was churned out by a talented and priapic 14 year-old detracts from much of the other pretty and imaginative design.

'Sacred 2' Screenshot 3

Colder than a witch’s tit. At least they get proper robes.

Fields of flowers and grass dominate the first areas along with golden beaches, murky caves and ruined temples. Typical fantasy fare, but well drawn and executed. The architecture often conveys a real sense of place. Enemy models are detailed and charismatic up-close, although there's a lack of variation between species. Zooming right in gives you a chance to admire these well-drawn models and smoothes the frame-rate a little, but restricts the range of your vision to the point where you'll miss a great deal.

For a game so firmly aimed at loot whores there's a shocking lack of inventory management options. The dozens of shinies you'll end up carrying cannot be rearranged, even manually. Despite a relatively reliable 'autoequip' function the reams of stats and bonuses conveyed by each piece remain a dark science - upon which neither the manual nor the scattered tutorials deign to shed any light.

Buying new equipment from a merchant is a massive pain too. There's no way to easily compare the gear on offer with what you're currently wearing - a basic function of RPG equipment management. What could have possessed Ascaron not to include such an important feature in a game so keen to encourage cramming your skimpy metal bikini with junk?

'Sacred 2' Screenshot 4

The final of the Strictly Come Giant Invertebrate Dancing was closer than you might imagine.

If you're a real loot addict, looking for a quick fix before Diablo 3 turns you into a precious-hoarding, daylight-shunning, subterranean Gollum, there are worse options than Scared 2. It presents you with a giant world, one that has some unique aspects and is generally seamless and deep. With patience, tolerance and a willingness to ignore all the problems and the awkward hokum, there are dozens - if not hundreds - of hours of playtime on offer.

Doubtless some will take up that offer, and will sink huge swathes of time into exploring every nook and cranny of this lush and vibrant world. Sadly, others will find it too hard to see past the pop-in, framerate, poor animation and niggling bugs. Had Ascaron reigned in the content a little, and polished a smaller game to a higher standard, the score below would have been at least a couple of marks higher.

6 / 10

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About Dan Pearson

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Comments (55) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • muscleblade #1 3 years ago

    Okay then. Not my type of game anyway.

  • UncleLou #2 3 years ago

    Had Ascaron reigned in the content a little, and polished a smaller game to a higher standard, the score below would have been at least a couple of marks higher.

    Yes. Sacred 2 (the PC version) is quantity over quality, unfortunately. Love the genre, but S2 failed to really grab me.


    As for doing all the sidequests, though - you shouldn't. You'll level far beyond an area's requirements if you do this. The tons of sidequests are so that you can do different ones (although they all reappear, of course) on the next playthrough on a then unlocked difficulty level. If the mobs in an area have a green circle around them, it's high time to move on.

  • Innes #3 3 years ago

    addictive game.

  • Venkman90 #4 3 years ago

    I believe there is an xbox patch due that fixes some of the bugs, not that that should effect the review score, I think Sacred 2 is a 7 for most people but for us loot whores it's a must have till D3 gets here.

  • menage #5 3 years ago

    Shame, these types of games are far to sparse on the consoles. But this seems a bit to rough around the edges even for me.

  • miiiguel #6 3 years ago

    Totally my type of game.

  • patchbox360 #7 3 years ago

    a samurai rat robot hmmm... interesting

  • fjharps #8 3 years ago

    A version comparison would be nice EG I have seen in play.com that there are some Special Features that are different between them

    ''The PlayStation 3 version supports drop-in/drop-out multiplayer gaming for up to four players via internet, and two player full-screen gaming on one console
    Multiplayer modes include co-op campaign and PVP
    The controls and interface have been developed from scratch for the PlayStation 3 version to ensure fluid and intuitive PS3 gameplay throughout differences between versions''

    IGN also says that PS3 version has the prettiest version so would love to know all the differences explained.
    Edited by 1 at 25/05/09 @ 11:33

  • Eldritch #9 3 years ago

    This comes as no big surprise.

  • lucifon #10 3 years ago

    @fjharps - Both versions are identical pretty much. The developers are quoted saying they use the exact same resources and textures etc, and in some areas the PS3 version comes out smoother, in others the 360 version - so really theres pretty much nothing in it. In terms of features they both include the exact same, apart from the PS3 version doesn't offer the ability to have 2 players on the same console playing online coop with 2 other players.

    Just had a 4 hour session of online coop with my friend last night (now discovered 2% of the world map...). Absolutely awesome, this is one of the most fun games we've both played in a long while. The world is absolutely huge, theres so much to do. Granted the isometric hack'n'slash genre is a very niche one, but if you've enjoyed anything like Diablo, Titan Quest or Sacred 1 then this is a no brainer. They've done a really good job of converting the interface over to the gamepad. Can be a slight fiddle at first but once you get the hang of it you'l have no problems. Visually the game looks super pretty, its not graphically going to blow you away on a technical stand point but the colours, variety of armour and effects look really nice.
    Edited by 2 at 25/05/09 @ 11:47

  • Venkman90 #11 3 years ago

    Wait, so is this out then or did they get a review copy? not out till the 5th I thought...

  • muscleblade #12 3 years ago

    @miiiguel

    I know. You should definently buy it.

    Bionic Commando is more my kind of game i believe. Bought it last week.



  • JahB #13 3 years ago

    this reads like an ed zitron review

  • Coughthulu #14 3 years ago

    So... what's the coop like? I've pre-ordered this because my missus likes this kinda stuff (BG on the original Xbox for example).

    Does local coop work ok? Is it rubbish? Is it non-existant because it's not mentioned in the review?!

    Can anyone else shed any light on this?

  • Eldritch #15 3 years ago

    @Coughthulu: Keep in mind that Ascaron is in administration, so don't expect any bugs to be fixed...

  • miiiguel #16 3 years ago

    @ Coughthulu: no shit..., I wonder why chicks dig BG so much ? Mine also loved BG1 and 2 on the original Xbox.

  • muscleblade #17 3 years ago

    "Does local coop work ok?"

    From other reviews thats one of the highpoints.

    "Sacred 2 turns out to be a great couch game, largely because you can play co-op with a friend at your side" 1UP.

  • Phattso #18 3 years ago

    Didn't see ant details on the co-op mentioned in that review, which seems a very strange omission for a review of a game in a genre that usually works a lot better with company (hell, even Diablo 1 had co-op).

    I guess I'll have to hunt around for a more useful review, although in general it doesn't sound like it's any real improvement over the dodgy PC version. :(

  • KA_Fel #19 3 years ago

    ha, I saw this as the top story with the headline buggin out. I lol'd thinking about how buggy sacred 1 was... as soon as I clicked the link firefox crashed on me... well that shut me up

  • Coughthulu #20 3 years ago

    @Eldritch:
    Crikey, that must have completely passed me by, don't remember hearing about that. :-/

    @miiiguel:
    Strange, isn't it? I mean, I thought BG1/2 were passable, but she totally loved them. That and beat-em-ups, where she usually wipes the floor with me.

    @muscleblade:
    Aha, excellent! Thank you, kind Sir. I shall go and read the 1UP review. :)

  • fjharps #21 3 years ago

    @lucifon: thanks for clearing that up.

    Don't know with this one though it's released the same day as Star Ocean on the 360 and being a massive rpg fan don't know which one to get.
    Edited by 1 at 25/05/09 @ 13:20

  • Eldritch #22 3 years ago

    @Coughthulu: You can play BGDA and BGDA2 on Xbox 360 via the emulator. :D

    Oh, and my sis-in-law is also REALLY into that sort of game, and she's playing Sacred 2 with my bro in co-op on the PC.
    Edited by 1 at 25/05/09 @ 13:33

  • Drool #23 3 years ago

    Am I the only one who thinks the "Scared 2" typo in the last bit was a bit unfortunate?

    On the PC version I dropped it quickly tbh since it becomes obvious quite quickly that you have to like the feel and system. A mate of mine happens to do and still plays it.

  • ctrl-k #24 3 years ago

    ROFL @ "Done my doody"

  • skybastos #25 3 years ago

    "@Coughthulu: Keep in mind that Ascaron is in administration, so don't expect any bugs to be fixed... "

    "Hi,


    Right now there really is not much news to give. We made the patch and send it to the publishers and microsoft. And as soon as they are done with the testing, the publishers decide when it will be online. If nothing unexpected comes up, I expected this to happen very soon now. But right now I don't have any update on this yet. Sorry."

    http://fo rum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php...

    ;)

  • n3rdh8r #26 3 years ago

    Been playing this with my wife. It's almost like Baldur's gate on the PS2/XBOX1, but it's huge, absolutely brilliantely huge in a no-loading gameworld. The stats are a bit wild though, and going to the store is quite non-transparent. But look through the bugs and there is a shining jewel.

    Sit on the couch with a friend or girlfriend, and drink beers...

    Cheap through Play-Asia too....

  • Day #27 3 years ago

    Local coop is fine as long as you don't mind losing your character in a game save corruption - after 17 hours of game play the g/f is not a happy bunny!!! You also cant trade items between characters, which is a pain - I'd been able to pick up and accumulate 34 shruken heads that my character couldn't use but the g/f's Dryad could, for some reason she hadn't been able to pick up a single one! Won't be revisiting this until it's patched now...

  • muscleblade #28 3 years ago

    Game save corruption is the worst thing in gaming. Happened to me in VF5 on 360.

  • Day #29 3 years ago

    Yup, well annoying, especially after so many hours... oh well, we were really enjoying it up until that point, bugs and all!

  • Cannibal #30 3 years ago

    Better than that awful Two Worlds then.

  • Eldritch #31 3 years ago

    @Cannibal: Actually, getting a Minotaur cattle prod up your arse is better than Two Worlds, mate.

  • Miths #32 3 years ago

    "But it does feel like time we graduated from the T ‘n' A school of fantasy."

    I couldn't disagree more - the genre is called fantasy after all :). Chain mail bikinis and leather "bondage gear" (alright, also large swords and explosive fireballs and brutal and bloody combat if we're talking about something like Conan or Steven Erikson's fantasy series The Malazan Book of the Fallen) are the only things keeping me from dumping fantasy games, movies and novels in favor of science fiction.

    As for Sacred 2, I bought the PC version on Steam around a month ago, but unlike the original Sacred and other fairly recent "Diablo clones" like the excellent Titan Quest + expansion, it unfortunately didn't manage to hold my attention for more than a few hours - although I won't entirely rule out I could feel tempted to give it another shot at some point.

  • Bleh #33 3 years ago

    Despite the average scores I'm looking forward to this game, especially the coop.
    Bit strange the review hasn't mentioned anything about the multiplayer aspect.

  • UncleLou #34 3 years ago

    You can just spam potions, so your escort will never die. Healing yourself with a potion also heals your escort. Besides, they're all irrelevant sidemissions. Only time my escorts died is when I couldn't be arsed to do the quest and steered them deliberately into mobs to cancel that quest.

  • Svecke #35 3 years ago

    "The Seraphim's half-catwalk, half-post-enema strut[...]"

    The mental image, like broken glass in my brain! XO

  • Eldritch #36 3 years ago

    @UncleLou: It's quite sad to think that any game designer should think that's something players will enjoy in their game. To me the game looks like the team tried to catch up with the check marks on the back of the box rather than focussing on getting the actual game right. I ordered the game on Play.com when it cost a tenner, and I'm not even sure it's worth even that. In my book, seamless world and literally billions and billions of items don't necessarily make a great game. And that "Gary Glitter meets Barbie" approach on the character design, well...

  • stevetuck #37 3 years ago

    So is this game like baldurs gate?... if so SOLD!

    Back home over the summer nothing like a multiplayer hack and slash :D last year was champions of norrath and return to arms :D

  • Maledictus010 #38 3 years ago

    I find it odd and rather disconcerting that a buggy mess such as this game still gets a 6. Devs don't need this kind of encouragement. I'll be happy to pay the money for a finished and polished game, but it seems i'm quickly becoming part of a minority. I guess we get what we deserve here.
    O, and having played the PC version i can say that this game has nothing on it's competitors, unless a disjointed experience is your thing and immersion means nothing to you.

  • Coughthulu #39 3 years ago

    Thanks to all who mentioned the coop, and their impressions after playing.

    I think I'm going to keep this on pre-order; hopefully the patch will be out soon so save corruptions will be fixed, this still sounds like it'll be a fun jaunt with the wife. :)

  • EmiliasHorse #40 3 years ago

    I want this game in my life.

  • Harmonica #41 3 years ago

    This is a well written review Dan, but no mention of online coop? For shame. I know a bunch of people in the US who have been enjoying this title a lot online, which is really one of the biggest reasons for buying it.

  • speedofthepuma #42 3 years ago

    I don't play co-op. There's a huge rpg-shaped hole in my life. I like BG (but PC not Xbox). Hack and slash can be good, as long as there is character within.

    Do I buy this?

  • Andreas2402 #43 3 years ago

    So, three times better than Darkfall then?

    Edit: I just read the comment above. Funny how people compare Diablo, Sacred, etc. with Baldur's Gate. It's like asking: I adore soccer, should I start playing tennis?
    Edited by 1 at 25/05/09 @ 20:58

  • UncleLou #44 3 years ago

    They're talking about Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, a console hack and slash spin off last gen.

  • Andreas2402 #45 3 years ago

    Unfortunately, they forget to add the "Dark Alliance" part, which makes it look like the original game.

  • UncleLou #46 3 years ago

    Not really:

    "Been playing this with my wife. It's almost like Baldur's gate on the PS2/XBOX1"

  • Kain201 #47 3 years ago

    This is the gamefaqs.com Messageboard for the 360 version. Currently the board is ranked 4 on the top 10 wanted FAQs.

    It is also stated on the board that most of the bugs can be avoided by simply installing the game on the harddrive. But of course Dan has already tried that in his utter brilliance, or not?

  • feistycheese #48 3 years ago

    Was going to get this, then my copy of Demons Souls arrived today . . . . sorry Sacred 2, you lose.

  • Slipstream #49 3 years ago

    I really hope that some form of patching gets through upon release, even if it's to iron out some of the more serious bugs. Data loss is absolutley unnacceptable for a game that demands so much time.

    Otherwise I have had my eye on this game for sometime now, Isn't it 4 player co-op online? If so, I can see plenty of fun to be had, I've seen the map and it's huge, choc full of quests, oh yeah, and err, class mounts xD

  • dryden555 #50 3 years ago

    Not a comprehensive review Eurogamer. I'm enjoying the game quite a bit for 35 hours of gametime, and havent had one bug yet. The quests are too often generic and the voiceacting is terrible but everything is solid, most importantly the varied character-building elements and the giant world to explore. For me this is a great single-player game and gets a strong 8 out of 10.

  • ctrl-k #51 3 years ago

    Have read the review three times now, and I have to say, for the first time on Eurogamer, that I think this is a bad review.

    Firstly: I can't tell what kind of game this is. There are references (loot whore, RPG, escort missions) that gives me vague references, but it does not explain to me whatsoever what i will be doing in the game, or how this is done or presented. Is it realtime? Is there any co-op? Is it all offline? Are there pickupnplay aspects outside of the main (single?) story arc? Is there any character building? What about levelling and itemisation? Reviewer mentions predefined characters - am I forced to play through these or are they customisable to some degree? What are these characters?

    Secondly: The reviewer takes a position that requires me to have played (or read reviews of) PC version of game or several other games. It would have taken perhaps two paragraphs to tell me A. the main story B. rundown of characters C. a brief discussion of mechanics.

    Summing up, I feel no more enlightened after reading this review than I was before. I know virtually nothing about the gameplay, the experience, the graphics (other than cheap quips and trying to decipher screenshots supposedly selected to support further quipping), or the mechanics of play. Disappointing!

  • Dogstar060763 #52 3 years ago

    Fantastic game. If you're a fan of games like the console versions of Baldur's Gate, D&D:Heroes or the great Dungeon Siege and Titan Quest games on PC you'll feel instantly at home with Sacred 2 (360 version). I can't agree with much of EG's review - it comes across as mealy-mouthed and half-hearted. I've played around 7 hours of Sacred 2 and I'm loving it. In truth, I didn't expect to - but the gameplay, the visuals and the overall atmosphere won me over.

    I did an install to HDD and I've had no problems with load times and very, very few issues with framerates. The game did install a patch via Live upon first starting up so maybe they've fixed both those issues and the corrupt Save problem (here's hoping).

    This is a game for fans of those old skool hack'n'slash RPG collectathons - if loot's your thing, stat managing rings your bell and you can't resist the lure of a nearby dungeon just screaming out to be plundered - congratulations, you just found a new best way to watch your weekends and evenings disappear down a very engrossing timesink.
    Edited by 2 at 08/06/09 @ 00:04

  • YoshiMcTaggis #53 3 years ago

    Aye, poor review. I came to this with no idea what this game was about, and I'm leaving with still no idea. How do you fight? Turn based? Real time? How do you move? How does the game progress and open up? Etc...

    I don't feel like I should have to research the PC version just to understand a review for a different platform.

  • Feanor #54 3 years ago

    WTF

  • super_monty #55 2 years ago

    Just bought this for for £12 from The Hut, not my type of game, not my genre yet 18 hours in and loving it. Yes it has bugs and missing a bit of polish but it's not often I come accross a game so advictive. And great fun in co-op!